They said it ought to be noted by the military for “planning and briefing purposes”.

The report also noted some board members thought it “would have been better” if Apaches travelled to the area at a different height as 1,000ft (304m) to 2,000ft (609m) was used by light aircraft.

It said the increased use for commercial flights of Southend Airport, which has become a Ryanair base, may have pushed more light aircraft into using the route over the Birch area, described as a “potential hotspot”.

The Apache, based at Wattisham, has been used for sorties in Afghanistan and Libya, where it was used to hunt and destroy tanks.

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